# US 10,482,582 B2 · Systems and methods for noise reduction in imaging

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- Number: US 10,482,582 B2
- Document ID: US10482582B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/904,134
- Filed: 2018-02-23
- Published: 2018-09-06
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-24
- Assignees: Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Applicants: Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Inventors: Brian Courtney; Naimul Mefraz Khan; Natasha Alves-Kotzev
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10482582B2

## CPC

- G01S 7/5205: {Means for monitoring or calibrating}
- G06T 5/70: Denoising; Smoothing
- A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image}
- A61B 8/5269: {involving detection or reduction of artifacts}
- G01R 33/5608: {Data processing and visualization specially adapted for MR, e.g. for feature analysis and pattern recognition on the basis of measured MR data, segmentation of measured MR data, edge contour detection on the basis of measured MR data, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of signal-to-noise ratio by means of noise filtering or apodization, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of resolution by means for deblurring, windowing, zero filling, or generation of gray-scaled images, colour-coded images or images displaying vectors instead of pixels (image data processing or generation, in general G06T)}
- G01S 7/52077: {with means for elimination of unwanted signals, e.g. noise or interference}
- G06T 5/10: using non-spatial domain filtering
- A61B 5/7203: {for noise prevention, reduction or removal}
- A61B 5/7217: {of noise originating from a therapeutic or surgical apparatus, e.g. from a pacemaker}
- A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters
- A61B 8/46: {Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient}
- A61B 8/5276: {due to motion}
- G06T 2207/10088: Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
- G06T 2207/10132: Ultrasound image
- G06T 2207/20056: Discrete and fast Fourier transform, [DFT, FFT]
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for the denoising of images in the presence of broadband noise based on the detection and/or estimation of in-band noise. According to various example embodiments, an estimate of broadband noise that lies within the imaging band is made by detecting or characterizing the out-of-band noise that lies outside of the imaging band. This estimated in-band noise may be employed for denoise the detected imaging waveform. According to other example embodiments, a reference receive circuit that is sensitive to noise within the imaging band, but is isolated from the imaging energy, may be employed to detect and/or characterize the noise within the imaging band. The estimated reference noise may be employed to denoise the detected in-band imaging waveform.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of denoising imaging signals detected in the presence of broadband noise, the method comprising:
in the absence of receiving imaging energy, detecting energy waves with an imaging transducer receive circuit, thereby obtaining a noise characterization waveform, and filtering the noise characterization waveform to generate an in-band noise characterization waveform residing within an imaging band and an out-of-band noise characterization waveform residing within a noise-detection band that lies, at least in part, beyond the imaging band;
segmenting the in-band noise characterization waveform and the out-of-band noise characterization waveform according to one or more time windows;
for at least one time window, processing the in-band noise characterization waveform and the out-of-band noise characterization waveform to determine a relationship between noise in the imaging band and noise in the noise-detection band;
detecting imaging signals with the imaging transducer receive circuit thereby obtaining one or more imaging waveforms;
for at least one imaging waveform:
a) filtering the imaging waveform to generate an in-band imaging waveform residing within the imaging band and an out-of-band noise-detection imaging waveform residing within the noise-detection band;
b) segmenting the in-band imaging waveform and the out-of-band noise-detection imaging waveform according to one or more time windows;
c) employing the relationship and the out-of-band noise-detection imaging waveform to estimate, within at least one time window, a measure associated with the amount of noise in the in-band imaging waveform; and
d) for at least one time window processed in c), applying a denoising correction to the portion of the in-band imaging waveform within the time window.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of detecting imaging signals comprises detecting imaging signals with the imaging transducer receive circuit along a plurality of scan lines, the method further comprising:
obtaining a plurality of imaging waveforms respectively associated with the plurality of scan lines; and
generating an image based on denoised in-band imaging waveforms respectively associated with the plurality of scan lines.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein step d) is performed when the measure is greater than a threshold.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the relationship between noise in the imaging band and noise in the noise-detection band is associated with a measure of relative energy in the in-band noise characterization waveform and the out-of-band noise characterization waveform.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4 wherein two or more time windows are processed to determine the relationship between noise in the imaging band and noise in the noise-detection band.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the measure associated with the amount of noise in the in-band imaging waveform is based on the relationship and the amount of power of the in-band noise characterization waveform.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the denoising correction comprises a subtrahend value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7 wherein the subtrahend value associated with a given time window increases with the amount of energy detected within the out-of-band noise-detection imaging waveform for the given time window.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the denoising correction comprises of multiplication with an attenuation factor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9 wherein the attenuation factor associated with a given time window is decreases with the measure associated with the amount of noise in the in-band imaging waveform for the given time window, thereby attenuating portions of the in-band imaging waveform associated with noise.

### Claim 11 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3 wherein, prior to applying the denoising corrections, each time window having a measure exceeding the threshold is reassessed relative to spatially adjacent time windows corresponding to spatially adjacent scan lines, such that samples corresponding to a given time window that are initially estimated to be associated with the presence of noise are replaced with samples from spatial adjacent time windows in the event that the adjacent time windows are estimated to be associated with the absence of noise.

### Claim 12 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3 wherein, prior to applying the denoising corrections, each time window having a measure exceeding the threshold is reassessed relative to temporally adjacent time windows, such that a given time window that is initially estimated to be associated with the absence of noise is reassessed as being associated with the presence of noise in the event that the adjacent time windows are estimated to be associated with the presence of noise.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the denoising correction applied for a given time window is dependent on the depth of the given time window within the in-band imaging waveform.

### Claim 14 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3 wherein the threshold is determined based on baseline measurements made in the absence of imaging energy and noise.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 further comprising repeating noise characterization to re-establish the relationship between noise in the imaging band and noise in the noise-detection band.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15 wherein the noise characterization is repeated according to user input.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15 wherein the noise characterization is repeated automatically when the absence of imaging energy is detected.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 further comprising monitoring one or more parameters associated with the out-of-band noise-detection imaging waveform in order to detect changes in the noise within the noise-detection band.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method according to claim 18 further comprising generating an alert or message when a change at least one parameter has been detected.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 further comprising:
performing noise suppression on the in-band imaging waveform during the absence of imaging energy;
generating an error value based on the energy in the in-band imaging waveform after noise correction; and
generating an alert for repeating the noise characterization when the error value exceeds a pre-selected threshold.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the imaging transducer receive circuit comprises an ultrasound transducer.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the imaging transducer receive circuit comprises a coil for detecting a magnetic field.